A Dance of Worlds
by FairyTaleFanatic
Summary: "I confess that, at times, I wish for death. It would be better than this madness . . . All I know is that this dance of worlds must come to an end, and soon, or we shall all surely die." A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
1. Prologue

**Hello, world. This has always been one of my favorite fairy tales (except for the ending; I always hated how the princess had no choice but to marry the old soldier), and I recently decided to novelize it. **

* * *

**Prologue**

"Too small and weak. I'm sorry, Your Majesties, but this babe will not survive the night." Those were the midwife's words when I had been born, two months before my time. Mother held me close, fearing the moment when I would go cold and she would have to let go forever.

It did not come.

Miraculously, I survived that night, and the next, and many beyond.

Mother and Father had five more children after me, all born at their right time, all growing properly. But not me. I remained tiny and weak, and as I grew older this was the reason I thought so lowly of myself.

_Look at your six elder sisters_, the voice in my head would say. _They are tall. They are strong. They are beautiful. You are not._

Mother and Father tried to make me look more like a whole person. In public I was forced to wear slippers with ridiculously high heels so that I would look taller than thirteen-year-old Novia, who was the eighth of us; the sister after me. When Father gave speeches on the balcony with the twelve of us lined up behind him, I had to stand on a small wooden stool.

And in one week, I would be standing on the wretched stool again, feeling incredibly scrawny and worthless next to all of my sisters. Evabelle, the youngest of us, was turning seven, and Father gave speeches on each of our birthdays, as had been the custom in Xynefol for centuries.

Because of this, I dreaded birthdays; my own especially, as the daughter with the birthday stood next to Father while he talked, and everyone's gaze rested on them.

But having eleven sisters (and only two sets of twins among them), avoiding birthdays was not easy. We had them almost once every month.

This birthday, however, would be different. Two weeks before, an old sorcerer had arrived, promising to grant Evabelle a wish. Strangely, though, our parents were not informed of this promise.

At first, I wasn't too worried about it. Evabelle would most certainly tell our parents about it once it had been granted, and secretly, I hoped this sorcerer would grant my wish when I turned sixteen in about a year: to be tall and beautiful like my sisters.

After all, he was a good sorcerer, right?

Wrong.

* * *

**I like the ending, though I do not like how insecure Ellesia is. But she would not cooperate as a character any other way I tried to write her. Excuse me while I go bang my head against the wall.**


	2. Chapter One- Princesses

**Chapter One**

**Princesses**

"Stop squirming, Ellesia!" Laurinda exclaimed. She was the fifth of us; the younger twin of Raielle. Laurinda was my best friend; I told her everything. Well, almost everything.

Right now, she was attempting to braid my hair for our evening ride by the lake.

"Sorry," I said. "I just want to get going."

Laurinda huffed. "Fine," she said. She undid the braid and brushed my hair straight again, then came in front of me. "You look much prettier with your hair loose anyway," she said, smiling gently.

I smiled back weakly. "Come on, let's go!" I said, grabbing her hand. We left the room and raced through the hall, going against Mother's commands for the thousandth time.

When we reached the stable, we found our horses ready and waiting for us; Laurinda's tall black stallion, and my small white mare. Laurinda easily swung herself up into the saddle, while I needed assistance from Stathis, the stable boy. My cheeks flushed, but I made sure to smile and tell him "thank you" before we set out. Laurinda stared at me, looking puzzled.

"Why do you thank him every time, if it humiliates you so?" she asked when we were a fair distance away. She knew of my wish to be taller, but she didn't know how badly I wanted it.

"Because he doesn't make fun of me, like some people do. He's just there, willing to help," I answered.

"I see. I just think it's a bit ... strange," she said. "I wouldn't thank someone who helped me feel humiliated."

I laughed, ignoring the second part of her statement. "Well, I think the fact that you and Raielle are twins is strange." They looked nothing like each other: Laurinda had rich golden hair and blue eyes, while Raielle had medium-brown hair and her eyes were like black onyx.

Laurinda shrugged. "Everyone thinks it's strange. We're nothing like each other; in matter of appearance and in matter of personality." We could see the lake now, the water bluish-purple in the twilight, and the trees casting long grey shadows onto the ground.

From somewhere nearby, I heard music, and it was more beautiful than anything the palace orchestra could produce. I looked at Laurinda. "Do you hear that?" I asked.

She cocked her head to one side, listening, but then her eyebrows knitted together. "Hear what?" she asked.

"The music. It's beautiful."

Laurinda laughed. "That's just like you, Lessi. It must be those old tales you love to read; now you're imagining things!"

As if on cue, the music stopped. I hadn't been imagining ... had I?

We rode around the lake several times, not talking, until Laurinda announced, "I'm going to be late for the dancing session!" She looked at me. "I know I ask you this every time, but ... will you join us?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm a terrible dancer."

This made Laurinda roll her eyes. "Princess Ellesia," she said sternly. "You say you're terrible at everything you're good at! You're probably not that bad. Dancing runs all through Mother's family line; it's in your blood." I had heard this speech from her nearly every day since I was old enough to feel insecure about myself.

"Sorry, Laurinda, I—I just ... I don't know," I answered lamely. This, of course, was always my response.

Laurinda sighed. "It's all right, Lessi," she said. Then she laughed. "I don't see why the cobbler brings shoes for you, too. You never come with us." She definitely had not said this before; I would have remembered it. I didn't reply. If I said something, she might have decided to point it out to Mother and Father, and then my dancing days would be over.

You see, I danced in secret; away from all of my sisters. Every day, when they gathered in the ballroom together, I would find an empty room and dance there by myself. I never had music to follow, except during balls, when I danced on the balcony, shielded by a heavy curtain. I had been doing this for as long as I could remember.

"I wish I could dance as beautifully as all of you," I said. "But ..." I stopped. The music had begun again.

_Stop it, Ellesia_, I told myself. _You're probably just imagining, like Rinda said._

Still, I resolved to come back later and investigate.

* * *

Laurinda fairly jumped out of the saddle when we came to the stable. I awkwardly slid out of mine instead of waiting for assistance, and nearly fell on my face as consequence. Stathis rushed over to help me up. "Are you all right, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you."

He nodded. "In that case ..." He went back to his duty of leading our horses into the stable.

Laurinda was waiting for me a few feet away; arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. "Come on, Lessi, I'm already late enough!" she urged.

I turned and followed her. "I think we'd better start our ride earlier next time."

"Um, you _think_?" she retorted.

We began to run. When we entered the palace, Laurinda rushed off to our bedchamber to fetch her dancing shoes. "See you in an hour or two!" she yelled as she sped up the staircase.

When I was sure she had gotten to the ballroom, I headed to our bedchamber as well. I walked over to my dressing table and grabbed my pair of violet dancing slippers. Our shoes were always made in our favorite colors, as several of my sisters had the same shoe sizes as each other. I, for example, had the same shoe size as twelve-year-old Kasia. Everything about me was tiny, and I hated it.

I tied the slippers on and thought about where to go.

The library, I finally decided. I could sit down and read if I tired of dancing.

* * *

The first thing that met the eye in the library was the huge fireplace. The square rug before it took up more than enough space for me to dance on. For this reason, the library was my favorite room in the palace.

I pulled the chair that sat by the fireplace to the opposite edge of the rug and stood still for a moment. The library was absolutely silent, except for the crackling fire, and I longed for music to accompany me.

But I had to provide my own music, so instead wasting time longing for an orchestra, I sang. Words did not come to me this time, so I simply sang "Ah," in a melody of my own invention, all the while stepping and twirling.

A crash came from one of the aisles of shelves. Childish as it was of me, I shrieked. My hand flew to my mouth as soon as I had done so. Stupid! Tomorrow, take some time to investigate first, I scolded myself.

A serving lad walked out of the aisle a moment later, blushing. "I'm very sorry, Your Highness. I was on break, and came in here to read, and didn't realize you had come in. Then you started to sing, and ..."

It was my turn to blush now. "I'm not very good," I said quietly.

"Yes you—" He must have realized he was contradicting royalty, and broke off. "I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you. Truly I didn't."

"You're forgiven."

"Thank you, Your Highness." He turned to go.

"Please, tell no one you saw me dancing!" I blurted.

He turned around, looking puzzled, but did not question me. "Very well then, Your Highness. No one shall hear of it."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course, Your Highness." He left, and I returned to dancing.

About an hour later, I heard my sisters coming down the hall. One of them was shouting, presumably Israya, the third eldest. "Evabelle, for goodness' sake, shut up! New shoes are coming tomorrow; it's not the end of the world!"

I pulled the chair back over by the fire, picked a book from a shelf, and quickly sat down, acting as though I had been reading the whole time. A moment later the door opened, and Israya strode in, her orange hair terribly mussed.

"What happened to your hair?" I asked.

"Novia happened. The great idiot danced too close to me. Next thing I knew, I was headed for the floor. I would have broken my jaw, but Kasia grabbed onto my hair and kept my face from impacting."

I winced. "Sounds painful."

"It _is_ painful. My scalp is on fire and ... What the devil went on in here?" She gestured to the shelf the serving boy had been next to. Nearly everything that had once been on the shelf now lay on the floor in a heap. I used her brief distraction to adjust my skirt and hide my dancing slippers.

"Clumsy servant," I said.

Israya scoffed. "It figures."

Evabelle came in and pulled on Israya's arm. "Issie! Issie! It's all the way ripped now!" she said, handing Israya her light yellow slipper. The toe was in shreds, and the ribbons dangled by a single thread each. Israya rolled her eyes and took Evabelle's slipper. "What did I tell you? And yet you still fiddled with it!"

Vanora, the second eldest, also entered. Her extremely light brown hair was in a braid at her left shoulder, and her usually calm hazel eyes were smoldering with anger. "Evabelle, where is my ruby necklace? I know you like to take it out and look at it, but this is becoming intolerable!" she exclaimed. Vanora was the peacemaker among the twelve of us, so it was odd to see her angry.

"Quiet down a bit, or we'll have the whole lot swarming in here!" said another voice. I looked up and saw Aelwen, the eldest of us, entering the room.

"Too late!" said Melosa, the sixth, who was entering behind Aelwen.

I looked out into the hall. Laurinda and Raielle were coming as well, followed by Kasia and the younger twins, Tolla and Geralene. Laurinda had a pained expression on her face, and groaned dramatically when she came in, leaning heavily on Raielle. I looked up at her. "What is it, Rinda?"

Raielle answered for her. "She tripped and sprained her ankle."

I looked down as Laurinda lifted her skirt a bit. Her left ankle was swollen and turning purple. She handed her sea green slipper to me and said, "It was choking my leg."

I tried not to laugh at that remark. "So, two accidents?" I said to Aelwen.

She nodded and ran a hand through her pale blonde hair. "Yes. One, at least, wasn't so bad," she replied, though she glared at Novia while she said it.

"Come on, we've got to get ready for dinner," said Vanora.

My sisters rushed out of the room to do so, but I stayed behind to help Laurinda. I walked over next to her. She groaned again and leaned heavily on me. "Even my twin abandons me!" she exclaimed as we walked through the corridor at a snail's pace.

"I think fate was playing a cruel joke on you both by having you born together," I said.

We both laughed. "I think you're right," she said. "We have yet to do anything twin-like. Never once have we finished each other's sentences, like Tolla and Geralene do. If it happens, we'll have to record it as a day in history for all to remember."

"Isn't it strange how Aelwen and Melosa do it? And they're four years apart!" I said. Melosa was sixteen; a year older than me, and Aelwen was twenty.

"I know! Why are Raielle and I stuck with the twin-ship? When I meet people at balls, I'm always recognized as 'Princess Raielle's younger twin,' never as 'Princess Laurinda.'"

"Very tragic," I joked.

"Very."

* * *

Because we were moving so slowly, we had no time to go to our bedchamber and freshen ourselves up. Instead we went straight to the dining room, but even then we were still not on time.

Father stood when we entered. "You're very late," he said.

"We know," snapped Laurinda.

I helped her into her chair, then went to my own spot on the other side of the table and sat down. We were divided by age, so I was forced to sit on the same side as the youngest five, with Novia on my right, and Father at the head of the table to my left.

Normally this was not a bad thing. But when he was angry, it was. I received all of his lectures before the rest of my sisters did, and I received them worse because he thought of me as his most sensible child.

I bit my lip and prepared for the worst, but Evabelle came to my rescue. "Papa, where is the old sorcerer?" she asked.

"Thanatos has business to attend to, or so he told me. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to ask him if he could make a pony for me."

I almost laughed. "Sorcerers and other magic wielders cannot create living things, Evabelle. They can only change the features of ones that exist."

Evabelle sighed. "I'm never going to get my pony."

"Not until you are thirteen. You know the family traditions."

Servants began bringing in the meal a few moments later. I was talking with Novia when a goblet fell into my lap, and wine that was supposed to be for Father splashed all over the skirt of my gown. I gasped.

"Clumsy fool!" Father shouted, startling us all.

I grabbed the goblet and turned around to see the serving boy from the library standing behind me, once more looking embarrassed. "You!" I exclaimed, and rose up from my chair.

"I'll have you—" Father started.

"No! No, it's all right," I said.

"I am sorry, Your Highness, for my clumsiness affecting you so much today," said the serving boy.

"It's all right," I said again. "I have another dress exactly like this one, and light pink isn't the best color for me anyway."

Father sighed. "I suppose since my daughter does not mind ... what is your name?"

"Taldon, sire."

"I suppose that since my daughter does not mind, I shall have mercy on you, Taldon."

Taldon bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Then, blushing, he turned and bowed to me. "Your Highness."

I made an awkward curtsy in return.

"Ellesia, you are never to curtsy to a servant," Mother said as soon as Taldon was gone.

But my sisters and I had a different policy about curtsies. Israya cleared her throat. "We curtsy to whom we think deserves it, and no one else," she said.

"That is not proper, Israya," said Father. "You are to curtsy to nobility and no one else. Do you understand? Say, 'Yes, Father.'"

Israya's sea green eyes sparkled. "Aye, Papa."

Father sighed again. "Please do not try my patience; I am nearly out of it," he said.

"Stressful day with the council?" Melosa asked. "Is that why you yelled at the serving boy? You wouldn't normally do that." She took a sip of water.

Father nodded. "Yes. We won the war, but parts of the kingdom are so destroyed we may as well have not. We have the money and supplies to help them, but the roads that were once peaceful are now crawling with bandits."

"Can't you just send more soldiers along?" Aelwen asked.

"Too many were killed or injured during wartime. All soldiers able to walk have been called to guard supply wagons, but even then it will be slow work restoring the kingdom."

"All soldiers able to walk," Aelwen echoed. "Does this mean ... Nandor will have to be away even more?"

"Aelwen, I do not want to hear any more about this soldier of yours. You are the crown princess, and you cannot marry a commoner; it is simply not done. It was the scandal of the kingdom before the war, and we cannot afford to have the gossip stirred up again. What prince would wed you if he knew about Nandor?"

"Nandor would _be_ a prince once I married him," Aelwen said, standing. She shoved her plate away. "I am not hungry."

I saw tears welling up in her eyes before she turned and fled the room. _Poor Aella_, I thought. I ached for her and Nandor both. He had become like an older brother to me.

He and Aelwen had known each other since they were both fourteen, and when they were sixteen he went off to fight. He sent letters sometimes, but after six months they stopped coming, and we all feared he'd been killed.

Yet Aelwen waited for him until the war ended—three years later. He did return, but haunted by the horrible things he had seen. But Aelwen stayed with him through it all, and now he was almost his old self again.

But now this declaration from Father. It must have broken Aelwen.

Melosa stood. "I should go to her," she said, and left as well.

From the farthest chair to my right, Evabelle whispered to Geralene, "I hate when Papa has bad days with the council. And I think Aelwen should marry Nandor. He's nice."

She read my mind.

* * *

**I have several more chapters written, but would like a nice review or two before I post them. Would that be possible? ;)**


	3. Chapter Two- Wish

**This update is for my two story followers.**

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**Chapter Two**

**Wish**

After dinner, I returned to the library. I was a bit surprised to see Taldon there, re-shelving the books he had knocked down earlier. He heard me enter, and looked up. "I thought you might come back here," he said.

I blushed. "Did you want to see me?" I asked.

"Yes. I just wanted to apologize yet again for all the trouble I've been for you today, and I wanted to thank you for what you did about the ... er ... goblet incident. The cook hired me just last week, and I cannot afford to lose my position."

"Why is that?"

"My father died last month, and my mother is terribly ill. I need the money to buy medicine for her."

I studied his face. "How old are you?"

"I was fifteen on October third, Your Highness."

So he was only four days older than me. "I—I'm so sorry," I said.

"It is not your fault, Your Highness."

"I know, but I still feel—"

The door opened, and the younger twins—Tolla and Geralene—entered, giggling. "Lessi, Lessi!" Tolla, the elder, shrieked. "Thanatos wants to—"

"—See us," Geralene finished.

I rolled my eyes. Just thinking of Thanatos made me shiver. Every time I had spoken with him, he had a look in his eyes that was not ... quite ... right. And whenever he called Father "Your Majesty", the words were edged with contempt, as though he did not think Father was worthy of the title.

"What for?" I asked the twins.

"It's something to do with Evabelle's—"

"—Birthday."

They were being coy, not telling me. "Please, you royal half-wits, Evabelle's birthday is a week away," I said.

"We know, but he said he wanted to see us now! He wants to grant her a wish!" Geralene replied.

Tolla elbowed her. "You weren't supposed to tell. We were going to surprise Lessi, remember?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Fine, I'll be along," I said. The twins were still giggling as they left.

"They are certainly ... very happy spirits," Taldon said, laughing a little.

"You should see them at their most energetic. This is isn't half as bad as they normally are."

"Ellesia, hurry!" came a shout from the hallway.

"I—I must go. My sisters are waiting for me," I said, while curtsying.

He bowed in return. "Farewell then, Your Highness."

I hurried out of the library to meet my sisters. Tolla and Geralene both stared at me with their golden-brown eyes. "Finally. It's been—"

"—Forever," Geralene finished, tossing her light red hair with a snobbish air.

"It's been less than one minute, and you both know it," I said.

Aelwen came down the hallway toward us. "We are to wait for Thanatos in the garden," she declared. Tolla and Geralene both giggled and raced away.

Aelwen heaved a huge sigh. I touched her shoulder. "Is there another suitor coming soon?" I asked.

"The conversation at dinner made it fairly obvious, didn't it?" She smiled faintly. "Yes, Prince somebody—his name is ridiculously long; I haven't bothered to remember it—of a kingdom with an equally ridiculously-long name is to arrive within the month."

"Would you like us to scare him off?"

"Father would probably figure you out and keep you in your rooms the whole time." She sighed.

"Don't worry, Aella. Even though Nandor is only a soldier, he is a better person than any of the princes you've met. Father will realize this soon enough and change his mind."

She let out a strangled noise, as though she was trying to laugh but needed to cry. "I hate being the crown princess," she said, and I could tell that she meant it.

"Why? You make a wonderful crown princess, and you are a better oldest sister to us than anyone could ever ask for."

"Thank you, Lessi. I only wish that arranged marriage wasn't a part of it," she said.

I grimaced. "I pity all of you older six, but at the same time, I envy you for being pretty enough that people want to marry you. I don't think I'll ever marry, by arrangement or even for love. I'm much too short and scrawny and, well, there's nothing extraordinary about dark brown hair and dark brown eyes."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lessi, you are very pretty. But you are lucky, if your height saves you. I only wish I had the same problem."

She wished to be as short as me? I couldn't believe it.

* * *

Aelwen went to our bedchamber to fetch a shawl, so I walked to the garden alone. I stopped to talk to Bernat, one of the guards on patrol. He was not much older than Laurinda and Raielle, and I knew him fairly well.

"Good evening, Bernat," I said. "Have any of my sisters come this way?"

"Good evening, Your Highness. Yes, I did see the youngest five pass this way, along with Princess Raielle, naught but a few minutes ago."

"I see. Thank you, Bernat."

"Of course, Your Highness."

I raced away, shaking my head. The phrase "Of course, Your Highness," was terribly overused. I also found it ironic when applied to me, but Mother and Father would have fits if I refused to answer to it.

I spotted Raielle and my youngest five sisters—except Evabelle, who was nowhere in sight—sitting on the stone benches surrounding one of the many garden fountains. I walked quietly up to them and touched Raielle's shoulder. She gave a start. "Wha— Oh, it's just you," she said.

Novia suddenly stood up. "Where are the rest?" she demanded.

"Off on their own business, Novia," Raielle said coolly.

Novia quieted and sat back down, and I stifled a laugh. Only Raielle could calm Novia. She had that effect on all of us; she was calm in almost any situation, and it rubbed off on the rest of us when we were around her.

I fiddled with the sleeve of my dress and thought of the strange music I had heard earlier. I had resolved to go back to investigate, but when would I get the chance to go alone? I didn't even want to be here in the garden anyway; I only came for my sisters' sake. I didn't trust Thanatos with them, especially when they thought him so nice. When he smiled, they thought it was genuine, but after years of studying people at balls while my sisters danced, I paid more attention to the look in his eyes: Sinister. Plotting. It was not right.

Kasia sighed and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "It was horrible at dinner earlier," she said. "I pity both Aelwen and Nandor."

"Oh really, do you have to bring that up?" Raielle asked.

"It's quite a shame," said Novia, "that Father hasn't realized Nandor's more man than any of those snot-nosed princes who think they're all that."

"Novia!" Raielle chided.

"I'm only telling the truth," Novia said, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we all know he's more man than all of them put together, but do you really have to insult the princes so?" Kasia said. "I wouldn't dare say it to their faces, or in front of anyone but all of you."

"I would," Novia said. "All they care about is the throne." She reached down and pulled off her boots. "These dratted things are pinching my toes. And let's not start to talk about feet; it's a rather unpleasant subject."

"Where's Evabelle?" I asked.

"No idea. She ran off a while ago, saying she had to 'think about her wish.' Speaking of the wish, what do you think it'll be for?"

I coughed. "Perhaps for a pony. At least, she said she wanted one at dinner. But who knows? I bet she's moved on and wants a unicorn now."

They laughed at the last statement.

"What's so funny?" asked two voices at once. I turned and saw Aelwen and Melosa coming up behind me. "Sorry we're late. And Vanora and Israya are helping Rinda, so they'll be along. Eventually."

I cringed, having forgotten about Laurinda's ankle.

"Actually, we'll be along right about now!" The voice belonged to Israya, who was propping up Laurinda at her right arm. Vanora, at Laurinda's left, was nodding. They came over to us and helped Laurinda sit next to me on the bench. Israya and Vanora then sat by Raielle.

"Where's the lucky girl with the wish?" Israya asked.

"Off thinking about what to—" Tolla began.

"—Wish for." Geralene finished.

"Well, she needs to hurry up and finish thinking; I'm dying to know what her wish will be!" Israya exclaimed.

Vanora laughed and stood up. "I'll go look for her." She ran off.

As she was leaving, Thanatos arrived. I tensed. He looked over us all, dark eyes moving from princess to princess as though he were counting. "Well, hello, Your Highnesses. But two are missing. Where are they?"

"Evabelle went off to think about what to wish, and Vanora just went to get her," said Geralene, smiling. "Are you really going to grant her a wish?" Her eyes were wide.

"Of course. It is almost her birthday, is it not?"

Geralene jumped up from her seat and clapped excitedly. "Oh, good! I hope she wishes for something amazing, and not something stupid like a horse. We all get one when we're thirteen anyway."

Laurinda grunted and looked down at her swollen ankle. She had already soaked it in hot water several times, but the swelling had barely gone down. Thanatos noticed her discomfort and stepped forward.

"Sprained ankle, Your Highness?"

Laurinda nodded.

"I can help." He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out a leaf. "Eat this."

"It will help?"

"Yes."

Laurinda took the leaf and ate it. Her eyes widened and she felt at her ankle. "It's ... It's healed!" She stood and began to twirl and leap around the garden. "Oh, thank you!" She sat down with a smile.

Thanatos bowed. "You are most welcome, Your Highness."

I shivered.

Just then, Vanora returned with Evabelle in tow. "Told you I'd find her. Although it took some convincing to get her to come ... Oh, hello, Thanatos. Sir." She curtsied, and I gnashed my teeth together.

Evabelle curtsied as well. "I am ready to wish now," she said. "And thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I hope my sisters will be pleased with my w—"

"Of course, Princess. It is my pleasure."

Vanora sat down next to Raielle again, but Evabelle remained standing in the circle of benches. "Can I wish now?" she asked Thanatos, who nodded. Evabelle took a deep breath and shut her eyes. "I wish for a secret magical land where my sisters and I could go and dance to pretty music whenever we want. I love dancing."

My mouth dropped open. That certainly was not what I had been expecting. Thanatos smiled. "Is there anything in this land that you want to ask for specifically?"

"I am allowed to do that? Oh, thank you!"

Oh, help.

She shut her eyes again. "I wish for trees with trunks and branches of silver and gold, the gold trees with leaves of silver, the silver with leaves of gold. Oh! And some of both metals, but with diamond leaves instead. And flowers with petals of precious stones of all kind. And a lake and pretty boats for us to row on ... and a castle! With endless amounts of good food." She opened one eye. "Can you do that?"

Thanatos chuckled. "Of course, little princess. It shall be ready by tomorrow evening," he said, patting her on the head.

"Tomorrow evening! That's when Brogun brings new dancing shoes for us all!" Melosa exclaimed, and we all stared at her.

"Melosa ... you were able to remember someone's name?" Kasia asked. Melosa, try as she might, was usually horrible at remembering names, sometimes even the names of people she saw often. She blamed it on having eleven sisters and having to remember their names all the time, which made us all laugh.

"Well, er, yes. I mean, we see him all the time and ... well, he's important. Shoes for dancing princesses are highly important. All right?" She smoothed out her skirt.

"But he's just the apprentice!" Novia's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Do you remember the name of the actual cobbler?"

"Of course. Master Orbo. Now ..." She cleared her throat. "I believe we were in the middle of something," she said, ending the conversation. "Thanatos, sir ... you were saying?"

"I said it should be ready by tomorrow evening."

I stood. "Excellent, sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be." I was going to investigate by the lake again, to try and find the source of the music from earlier.

But Thanatos stopped me. "Your Highness, wait." He looked at each of us in turn. "Princess Evabelle wished for this to be a secret place. To fully grant her wish, you must swear not to speak a word about it to anyone. Can you do that?"

My sisters nodded.

"All right." He pointed to Aelwen. "You first. Say, 'I solemnly swear that I will not speak a word about the land to anyone who does not already know about it.'"

Aelwen took a deep breath. "I solemnly swear ..."

And so my six older sisters, Aelwen to Melosa, solemnly swore this. When Thanatos pointed to me, I froze, not wanting to comply. "I ... I ..." I bit my lip, hoping that he would just move on to Novia and ignore me. But he did not.

"Come on now, you do not want to ruin your little sister's dream, do you?" Was that a threat in his eyes? I became frightened, and, stupidly, swore that I would not tell. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I felt a strange tingling sensation travel through me, and for a moment I was unable to move. Then it passed, and I thought, _One does not swear something to a sorcerer and go against it._ I had read this before somewhere in a tale, and now I knew it was true.

Novia, Kasia, Tolla, Geralene, and Evabelle all swore, and it was done. Thanatos smiled. "Well, I suppose I should get to work. Good night, Your Highnesses!" He turned and began to walk away. I watched him go.

"I know you're plotting something," I whispered.

But what could it be?

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	4. Chapter Three- Music-Makers

**This chapter is for my one reviewer. I apologize for not updating sooner.**

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**Chapter Three**

**Music-Makers**

A twig snapped under my booted foot as I walked past the lake and deeper into the forest. I crossed my fingers and hoped the noise wouldn't disturb whoever was making the music. I had come back to investigate, and the music was playing once more.

To my right, in between the trees, I thought I saw a speck of light. Perhaps it was a firefly, but it vanished so suddenly that I doubted it.

I turned and came to a small clearing, and here the music seemed to be all around me.

I slipped out of my boots and tossed them aside. Barefoot, I danced. No one would find me here; it was perfect. I spun. I leapt. I twirled. I forgot that I was a princess, forgot my sisters, forgot the world around me. I was lost in the music, and it was a wonderful feeling.

The music began to fade, and I knew the song would end soon. _No_, I wanted to say, _go on forever_. But I was intent on savoring every second that passed in this wonderful place, and said nothing. So when the song ended, I was left standing there, suddenly realizing just how cold and dark it was. How much time had passed?

"I'd better get back," I whispered. I bent down to pick up my boots.

A tiny freckled face peeked out from behind them, and I drew back. "What on earth—"

"Hello," said the tiny face.

I felt a tug on my skirt and looked down. A person, perhaps a foot tall, stood at my feet. It was a girl with light brown hair and eyes about the same color. "Hello, fair dancing maiden," she said.

"What? Who are you?"

"We are the pixies," said a group of voices. "And we welcome you who heard us."

I looked up. All around me, tiny people sat in the trees, watching with smiles. I buried my face in my hands. "It was you who made the music? You were watching me?" I reached down, picked up my boots, and started to go, mortally embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ... I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Wait." One voice, clear and commanding, stood out from the rest.

I stopped and turned around. A female pixie with pale blonde hair in two long braids floated in the air behind me. All of the other pixies hushed, and I could tell this one was important.

"You are not leaving for good, are you? You will come back and dance again?"

"No, I won't. I'm so sorry for bothering you. Truly—"

"Bothering us? Is that what you think you did?"

"But you are the fair dancing maiden. You musn't leave forever!" The little pixie that had been standing by me flew up next to the blonde one. Without wings, I noticed. In the old tales I read, pixies always had them. Interesting.

"I—my presence was not ... er, you didn't mind?"

"No. You dance pretty," said the young pixie.

I blushed. "Well ... thank you," I said softly.

"So you'll come back, fair dancing maiden?"

"Why must I? Surely you have dancers among yourselves—"

"You do not understand," said the blonde pixie. "We are pixies—music-makers. Our joy is in making the music for others to dance to; has been since the beginning of time. Not many people are able to find us, not even the dancers, I am sad to say, so when one does, it makes us exceedingly happy. Please, honor us and return."

I looked around at all of the pixies gathered in the trees. There were a few holding instruments that seemed about my age, but the rest were children, wide-eyed and smiling, looking hopeful. I didn't want to disappoint them. And besides, if I came back, I would finally have music to dance to, and my family would never have to know that I danced.

"I'll come back," I said.

The blonde pixie smiled. "I am Embrielle. I and the others of us that are older are teaching the children their instruments, while their parents are with the queen discussing—" She paused, and her face darkened. "Discussing various ... _matters_. Now ..." She clapped her hands.

Two pixies floated toward me, carrying a necklace between them. Gently they fastened it around my neck.

I fingered the charm and examined it. It was silver, in the perfect shape of a dancing slipper. "Oh," I breathed. "It's lovely."

"Magic too," said Embrielle. "When you are ready to come, hold it and say, 'Pixies, pixies, small and bright, the maiden dances now tonight.' This will lead you here. If you cannot come, hold it and say, 'Pixies, pixies, small and bright, the maiden dances not tonight,' and we will know that you are not able to come. To return home, hold it and say, 'Pixies, pixies, small and bright, the maiden has danced enough tonight.' And ..." Her eyes narrowed. "Be wary in the palace, Princess. Sorcerers are not to be trusted."

My heart skipped a beat. "How did you know about ..."

She did not let me finish. "Your sisters are probably wondering where you have gone off to."

I nodded. "All right. See you ... sometime." I clasped the necklace charm and recited the rhyme for going home. A split second before I vanished, I heard Embrielle's voice.

"Remember, Princess. Beware whenever you are in the palace."

* * *

"Ellesia, where have you been? We've been looking for you!" Vanora said. We eldest seven were in the bedchamber we shared.

"I went out for a walk," I said, flopping onto my bed and staring out the window.

"Some walk. What happened to your feet? I saw them when you came in; they're filthy!" Israya remarked from her vanity, where she was molding something out of clay, as usual.

"She took her boots off, you dolt." Vanora tossed a small pillow at Israya.

"As Novia said earlier, let's not talk about feet; it's a rather unpleasant subject," said Raielle. "What do you think of Evabelle's wish?"

"Very creative, certainly," said Laurinda.

"You think so too?" Raielle asked. "Lo and behold, we agree on something!" she laughed.

"It was bound to happen someday," I said.

"Only took you seventeen years," Aelwen said, looking up from her embroidery. "The youngest five are lucky to be born after you both matured some." She looked at the rest of us. "Do you remember their fights as toddlers?"

"They were the worst," Vanora and Israya said together.

"I remember watching them from my crib, terrified that if I made a sound they would turn on me," Melosa said.

"They probably would have," I laughed. "Raielle did have a violent temper when she was young."

"You say that as if I'm old," Raielle said.

"You are ... when compared to Mother's new kitten," Israya said. I looked over at her vanity and saw that she was molding him: tail straight up in the air, eyes wide and staring at a little butterfly I had seen her mold yesterday. Israya was masterful.

Raielle pinched her arm. "Shut up."

"Augh! Now look what you made me do! His poor paw!" Israya wailed. "You'll pay for this, Elle."

"It's his _paw_," said Laurinda. "Surely you of all people can fix it easily."

I raised an eyebrow. "Laurinda, are you defending your twin? As I said before, it was bound to happen someday."

Aelwen, Vanora, and Melosa all stood and applauded, faces solemn, but it was obvious that they were fighting smiles. I stood and applauded too, but couldn't keep a straight face for long, and fell back onto my bed laughing.

Laurinda smiled. "Well, this is certainly something to be celebrated, and I'm hungry besides. Cake, anyone?"

"What did you do that you would be hungry even though dinner was only a few hours ago?"

"Nothing."

Aelwen stuck out her tongue. "The minute we were done in the garden, she rushed to practice her sword. I don't think she cared about the pain her ankle was causing her; I think she hated the fact that it separated her from her precious swordplay."

I nodded. "I knew it."

Laurinda frowned. "How?"

Israya looked over her shoulder at Laurinda. "You always wear out your blades quickly, so you can see _Xander_ again," she said coyly. "Everyone ... no, not everyone. We haven't told. All the rest of us seven know you fancy each other."

"Yes, and we also know that you fancy Stathis, the stable boy. And both Lessi and I have seen him look at you when you join us on our daily rides."

Aelwen sighed. "Can we please discuss something else? If Mother and Father knew you all were associating with commoners in such a way, you would be dead. And having my sisters talk about their ... you know ... and right before I'm meeting some stupid lad for a possible arranged marriage even though I ..." She buried her face in the dress she was embroidering.

A hush fell over the room as Aelwen began to weep quietly.

"I think it's time we get to sleep," Vanora whispered.

We nodded.

* * *

"Lessi? Lessi, wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake _up_!"

I had my guesses about who this voice belonged to. With a sigh I opened my eyes and stared up at Evabelle. She was grinning and her eyes were wide. "The magical land is ready tonight!" she exclaimed.

I groaned and rolled over. "That is very nice, Evabelle, now please leave and let us sleep a bit more."

"But it is ready tonight! You should be excited!" she said, ignoring me.

"That's very nice, but I am tired." I pulled my pillow over my head.

"Why are you all so sleepy? Even you and Melosa are cranky, and you're _never_ cranky."

"You didn't hear them all talking late into the night?" Kasia stepped through the door that joined our rooms together.

"They were talking? What about?"

"I am not nearly so rude as to eavesdrop. I could hear their voices, not specific words, and I didn't try to change that." She walked over to my bed. "Although I am surprised at your tiredness. It's after eight."

"WHAT?" I bolted up, and noticed that my elder sisters were doing the same, save Israya.

"Eight?" she said. "Who cares? I'll sleep all day and all night again, thank you. I stayed up to finish my latest figurine, and I blasted well deserve the long sleep."

"Brogun's bringing new dancing shoes; you were excited for that because Belle would finally stop moaning about her ripped ones," said Melosa, trying to convince her to get up, "there's a ball tonight to honor some ambassador ... Oh! And the land Evabelle wished for will be ready tonight as well."

Israya sat up. "Well, that makes a difference."

* * *

"I wonder where the magical land will be," said Evabelle as we were waiting to enter the ballroom. "The shoes Brogun brought are so pretty, and I can't wait to go to the land."

"Are you sure you won't be too tired after the ball?" I asked. The land could wait, couldn't it?

_Calm down. She's just excited._

"No; I'd never be too tired for something like that," Evabelle answered firmly.

Of course.

The door guard looked us over. "Are you ready, Your Highnesses?" he asked. We all nodded, and he opened the door. We lined up in order of age and entered the ballroom.

The herald seemed to sigh when he saw us. I didn't blame him; twelve names was a lot to announce at once. "Presenting their Royal Highnesses: Princess Aelwen, Princess Vanora ..." he began.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at us. I almost groaned. All twelve of us hated being "presented" because it took so long.

"Princess Israya, Princess Raielle, Princess Laurinda ..."

I spotted Thanatos by one of the refreshment tables; sipping a glass of wine. It was obvious that he couldn't care less about any of us.

"Princess Melosa, Princess Ellesia, Princess Novia, Princess Kasia ..."

Thanatos was rolling his eyes now.

"Princess Tolla, Princess Geralene, and Princess Evabelle of Xynefol! All hail the princesses!"

Everyone cheered, except Thanatos. He spat his mouthful of wine onto the floor. How did he do such things without anyone noticing?

He glared at me, then raised one eyebrow; seemingly asking me what I was going to do about it. I simply held his gaze, trying to stare him down. It worked; he turned away after a minute and sipped more wine, actually swallowing it this time.

_I don't know what your game is, but I know what you are_, I thought. "Snake," I whispered aloud.

Novia heard me. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Nothing important," I replied.

She shrugged and went off to dance like the rest of my sisters. I made my way toward the curtain that covered the glass doors leading to the balcony. I slipped behind it, opened the door, and stepped out.

I danced there on the balcony, completely alone, unmissed by everyone inside. The drapes shielded me from everyone's view, so I would not be interrupted. Or so I thought. In the middle of a twirl, I noticed someone standing by the door. Tall. Dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Nandor.

Immediately I stopped dancing and walked to the balcony rail, staring at the garden below.

Nandor came up beside me. "Well, well, well. Little Ellesia can dance, even more beautifully than her sisters." He tousled my hair. "Don't tell Aelwen I said that."

I blushed. "Even if I did, she'd still love you," I said.

Nandor tousled my hair again. "Why are you out here?" he asked.

I sighed. "I don't like being among all those people. It's more peaceful out here," I said lamely. I could tell he didn't believe me, but that was the best excuse I could think of. He needn't know about my insecurities.

He held out his arm. "May I?" he asked.

I looked up at him. "Aelwen won't mind?"

He shook his head. "No. She knows you and I are like brother and sister."

"Then you may," I said, taking his arm. We began to dance. At first, I felt ridiculous, since he was a little over a foot taller than me, but after a bit, I didn't mind so much. We stepped in perfect unison, and kept easy time with the music.

"Where did you learn to dance?" I asked.

He laughed. "I've known Aelwen for six years. Do you think she would let me remain ignorant about dancing?"

I considered for a moment. "No. It would be impossible."

The dance ended, and we stepped apart. He leaned down so that he was eye level with me. "I heard Thanatos the sorcerer is extending his stay here in the palace," he said, looking worried. "Do you know why?"

"I'm concerned about it as well. And just last night, he—" I stopped, suddenly unable to breathe.

"He ..." I tried again, but it came out as a gasp for breath. I touched my throat, choking. So dizzy. I felt myself falling backward.

Nandor caught my arm. "Are you all right?"

I couldn't answer.

"Are you all right?" he asked again. "Ellesia!"

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	5. Chapter Four - Land

**Many thanks to my two newest reviewers. I apologize for going so long without an update.**

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**Chapter Four**

**Land**

_One does not swear something to a sorcerer and then go against it._

I had tried to go against what I swore and this was my consequence. _Say something else_, I thought.

"One does not swear something to a sorcerer and then go against it," I said, touching my throat. I meant it doubly; to quote the tale but also to warn him.

I straightened. As much as I wanted to, I knew I could not ask Thanatos to grant my wish. Height would come with a price, no doubt. He'd make me tall, but I'd be an indentured servant to him, perhaps. Sorcerers were unpredictable that way; bending your wishes to serve their own purposes.

"You swore to a sorcerer?" Nandor asked. I wobbled and nearly fell again, but he caught me and held me up.

"Once upon a time there were twelve princesses. The youngest princess was granted a birthday wish by a sorcerer, and he made them swear not to tell about it. The end," I said.

Nandor gripped me firmly by the shoulders. "Ellesia, what did Evabelle wish for?" he asked.

"The youngest princess wished for—"

My throat burned as if molten metals were being poured down it. The spell must have figured out the loophole I had thought of.

"Can't say." Immediately the burning left.

Nandor sighed and let go of my shoulders. "The old snake," he said, and I nodded. He looked back at me. "Do the rest of your sisters suspect anything?"

I shook my head, unable to answer him.

"Of course, because little Ellesia is the only one used to studying people. It's a good thing you sit out at balls, else you'd be ignorant as well."

I had spent my life watching people. After painful events in my childhood, I had learned that those who seemed kind were not always so. When I wasn't dancing on the balcony at balls, I was sitting in a corner by myself, observing my courtiers. Watching how they behaved and how they reacted to certain things. Though I obviously could not tell all about them, I could tell some: that baroness was rash and impatient, that lord was kind but reserved.

Thanatos seemed kind enough. Except for his eyes.

I was fond of calling him "snake" for a reason. His eyes had the same cold, unblinking stare as a serpent, and something in them was sinister; evil. And sinister, evil people had no business lurking in a palace, faking kindness towards the princesses.

"Lessi? Lessi, you have to come in!" Evabelle opened the door and slipped out, her cheeks red and her eyes merry. "We miss you inside," she said.

"Sorry. Nandor and I had something important to discuss."

"Oh. Well will you come in soon? And tonight—" Her mouth snapped shut, and for a moment she struggled to open it. "Oops. I forgot." She giggled.

Of course I would be the only one to choke when I tried to tell.

I did my best to smile at her. "Of course, Belle. I'll be in soon."

She nodded and rushed back inside.

I sighed and turned to Nandor. "She's excited about her wish," I said.

"Something is happening tonight."

I winced. "Yes. I wish I could tell you, but as you know ..."

"One does not swear something to a sorcerer and then go against it." He held out his arm. "Shall I escort you back into the ballroom, Your Highness?" he said with a snobbish air.

I laughed and took his arm. "Thank you, my lord," I said.

* * *

"I talked to Thanatos at the ball," said Evabelle that night. She and the rest of the youngest five had come into our bedchamber, saying, "We can only get to the magical land from you eldest seven's chamber." Now, my sisters were all holding their breath in excitement while Evabelle skipped about.

"He said that every night after eleven, everybody who's in the palace becomes magically blind and deaf to what we're doing. At dawn the spell wears off. Oh, and the magical land is here! All I have to do is this!" She rushed to the door that joined our rooms and clapped her hands. "And then this!" She ran to the rug in the center of our room and twirled, then stepped away.

"Can someone else do this part? I'm nervous," she said.

_So am I._

"What do we have to do, Belle?" Laurinda asked softly.

"Pull the rug away." She stepped back, and so did the rest of my sisters.

"I—I'll do it," I whispered. I stepped forward and grasped the edge of the rug, my heart pounding. Slowly, I pulled it away, revealing a trapdoor that had never been there before. I had seen our maid, Narinne, move the rug to clean hundreds of times.

I reached for the handle of the trapdoor and pulled it open. A soft golden glow filled the room, then faded, though I could still see light coming from the opening.

"Shall we go now, or get ready first?" Novia asked.

"Oh, let's get ready. I want to really look like a princess," said Evabelle. Then she giggled. "And maybe there'll be princes down there for you eldest seven."

My six elder sisters exchanged grim looks. Evabelle wouldn't be able to understand that they all loved commoners. She made an exception for Aelwen and Nandor, but she still told the rest of us eldest seven that, "One day, princes will come that you'll like a lot and they'll like you back, and they'll be handsome and they'll be nice to us youngest five, and then you'll marry them and live happily ever after."

I was the only one who could smile at that story, and even I did so weakly. Short, scrawny seventh princesses were not desirable to princes. It was the eldest few that interested them. And besides, I, a short, scrawny seventh princess, did not want to marry a prince anyway.

"All right, Belle," I said, breaking the silence. "You get to go first. Let's get you looking pretty."

Twenty minutes later, my sisters were dressed in ball gowns and their new slippers. Hair was left loose, as we all despised pinning it up, but my elder sisters had each put on a bit of makeup.

"You all look beautiful," I said.

"It's your turn, Lessi," said Evabelle.

"Oh, no. I could never be as pretty as any of you. An everyday gown will suit me fine."

"But—"

"Let it go, Belle," said Laurinda. "She's not going to dance anyway."

_Oh, thank you, Laurinda._

My sisters were all silent, and I could hear the clock on the wall ticking; the seconds rolling by and turning to minutes.

"Let's wait for the hour," said Israya. "It's only two minutes away, and going at midnight seems more magical somehow."

My sisters nodded in agreement, and then we returned to waiting in silence. We were all somewhat tense, as though midnight would bring something new and terrible into the world, despite the seeming beautiful wonder coming from the entryway in the floor. Twenty seconds. I bit my lip and clenched a fist at my side.

Fifteen seconds.

Evabelle trembled slightly.

Ten seconds.

A few of my sisters held their breath.

Five, four, three, two ...

The clock struck the hour, and we remained still. When the ringing faded, the sisters that had been holding their breath exhaled, and we all relaxed.

"Hurry!" said Aelwen. "Let's go. Reverse order of age, since Evabelle wished for it."

Evabelle rushed to the entryway, a grin spreading across her face. "Oh, there's a staircase!" she exclaimed. "A golden stairca—"

"Just go!" Tolla and Geralene urged.

Evabelle descended, then Geralene, Tolla, Kasia, Novia ...

My turn.

I took a deep breath and walked over to the entryway, trying to smile but failing. _There has to be some terrible twist to this all_, I thought. _He's a sorcerer!_

The heels of my shoes clicked on the golden staircase. I refused to be amazed by it. After all, it was only a staircase.

_Made of gold_, I thought, then cringed._ No, Ellesia. Do not be deceived by the beauty._

I reached the bottom of the staircase and looked around. We were in a tunnel made of brick and lit by candles that were unusually bright. There was no light at the end; only solid wall.

"This is it?" Evabelle asked sadly. Her lip trembled, and I could tell she was trying hard not to cry.

"I suppose—" I stopped. Something fluttered at the end of the tunnel. "No, it's not. That's a curtain at the end, not a wall." As much as I hated to admit that there was more to see, I refused to lie to Evabelle, or any of my sisters, for that matter.

Evabelle jumped up and down. "Really? You have good eyes, Lessi, thank you!"

"Good thing, too," said Aelwen, the last to descend the staircase. "If this had been it, I'd ... um ... have done something unpleasant to that sorcerer."

As she was speaking, I heard something slam shut. I looked up. The portal was gone, and the golden staircase was fading into nothingness.

"We're trapped!" I said.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Lessi, we probably just have to dance first," said Aelwen. "Anyway, let's go!" She took Evabelle's hand, and they raced toward the end of the tunnel. The rest of us followed.

When we reached the curtain, everyone froze. "Lessi, you pull back the curtain, like you did with the rug," Evabelle said.

I stepped forward, grasped the curtain, which turned out be velvet, and whispered, "One, two, three." On three, I pulled the curtain to the side, revealing silver double-doors.

"Oh goodness," said Israya. "That's just not fair."

I gripped the handles of each door and pulled them open.

Bright light flooded the tunnel, blinding us all. Somehow, I managed to step through the doorway despite this blindness. When the light faded, I saw that I was standing in a forest.

But it was no ordinary forest.

The trees were silver with golden leaves, and there were roses and other red flowers growing; with petals of rubies and stems of emerald. The path was of gleaming pearl.

I looked up. The sky was the deep blue of night, and millions of brilliant stars twinkled as if winking, telling me to stop worrying and enjoy myself.

_No. I musn't fall for that._

My sisters came up behind me, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. "This is beautiful," said Vanora. "I have never seen anything ..." She trailed off.

Israya cleared her throat. "Yes, erm, this is very nice," she said, collecting herself. "But where does the path lead to?"

"Yes, right," said Kasia. "We must find out."

We continued on down the path, reaching a new section of trees and plants. These trees were gold with silver leaves, and the flowers were bluebells and other blue flowers with petals of sapphire. We walked further. In the last section, the trees were either silver or gold with leaves of diamond, and the flowers were violets and other purple flowers with petals of amethyst.

"Someone punch me," Vanora said. "This cannot be real."

Israya punched her arm, and then pinched the same spot. "For good measure," she said sweetly. Vanora made a face.

We came to the end of the forest and were standing on the bank of a river, it seemed. But there was no current; the water was as still as if it were a lake. I looked into the river. Lake. Whatever it was. The water seemed to go down forever, and the only "bottom" that I could see was inky blackness. _I wonder if it's possible to drown in a magical land_, I thought.

"Look!" said Evabelle. "Boats!"

I looked up. There were indeed twelve servants in twelve golden rowboats coming down the river-lake toward us. They dragged their boats up onshore, and each servant gestured for one of us to get in. Aelwen got in the first boat, and immediately her servant began to row her across. Vanora got in the next boat, and so on until me.

I hesitated, and my servant took my hand, nodding. He seemed nervous; only a boy, and anxious to please.

"Can you speak?" I asked him. He shook his head and gestured to his fellow servants, as if to say, "No, none of us can."

A feeling of dread crept over me, but I let the boy lead me to the boat and help me sit down. As we were rowing across, I asked him, "Where do you come from?"

He stopped rowing and pointed to the sky, but I knew what he meant.

"Above? The world of men?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Did you volunteer to come here?"

He shook his head.

"Were you forced?"

He nodded.

"Oh. I'm so sorry," I said. He shrugged as if to say, "There's nothing you can do about it." But I was determined that there was something I could do. Perhaps the pixies knew something.

"I'm going to help you," I whispered, so that he wouldn't hear. He might be punished if he knew. "I'm going to help you get home."

_Somehow_, I vowed.

Thanatos musn't get away with _this_.


End file.
